Pieces of a Woman will break you apart: TIFF Review

Above all else, Pieces of a Woman is the most tragic movie at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. And it’s worth the struggle to see some fabulous filmmakers at their bleakest and creative best.

But there are two components that are irrefutably clear in making the film as compelling as it is. The first is the courageous, unapologetic direction of Kornél Mundruczó in his English language debut. The second is that Vanessa Kirby is very much the frontrunner to win this year’s Academy Award for Best Actress.

Mundruczó holds back no attempt at affecting audiences as they watch the story of Martha and Sean Carson (Kirby and Shia Labeouf), two young parents navigating a painful aftermath when something goes wrong in the birth of their daughter. The conflict is definitively gripping because the every event these parents suffer only work to make things worse and worse.

Is it entertaining to watch something so aggressively heart-wrenching? Yes, but not in the way of easy viewing. It’s never so intense it’s difficult to watch, but the drama is highly effective at making viewers level with everything Martha and Sean are going through.

By far the best part of the film is Martha’s extended scene going into labour near the beginning. This seemingly single continuous take lasts nearly half an hour and plays in nearly real time. It’s worth seeing the film even just to see this one scene - a shot that’s about one quarter of the entire run time.

The power of the scene is, sadly, undercut by a similar, shorter scene that uses the same technique less effectively later in the film, but it only lasts five minutes this time. It is smart, however, that Mundruczó uses the strategy for two of the three most important moments in the story.

Kirby’s work as Martha is the main ingredient in what makes this long scene work. Her actions and tactics are incredibly realistic in portraying what experiencing the home birth of a first child would be like: physically, emotionally, practically and mentally.

Her work is just as technical and emotionally invested as that opening act, and she only intrigues you further until her fabulous final monologue. It should be noted that this isn’t just a career best for her - this is also Labeouf’s best performance in his 20+ year career. Ellen Burstyn, as Martha’s mother, is also a standout in the well-rounded cast.

One other brilliant detail showcasing the brilliance of Mundruczó and his cast is the movie’s motif of apples. Why is Martha so intrigued by them? Is she contemplating eating the seeds? Does it represent “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”? Maybe it connects the size of a seed and it’s grown to the pregnancy of her daughter.

In the penultimate scene, it turns out to be none of those things. And just when you thought there were no more surprises, the truth behind the apples are revealed, and anyone with a heartbeat will be reduced to tears.

The whole film will wreck you worse than you ever thought possible. But Pieces of a Woman is a testament to both life’s value and the what we can do to find value in the lives of people we both love and hate.

You will want to have tissues ready. This Canadian co-production is one to be proud of, and worth it breaking you down to let it build you up again.

Pieces of a Woman

9 out of 10

2hrs 6mins. Drama.

Directed by Kornél Mundruczó.

Starring Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Benny Safdie, Sarah Snook and Iliza Schlesinger.

Streaming as of 6 p.m. tonight on TIFF’s Bell Digital Cinema. Also plays the VISA Skyline drive-in tonight at 9 p.m. and the TIFF Bell Lightbox on Friday September 18th, with tickets available online here.

Update: As of Thursday, January 7, 2021, the film is now available to stream on Netflix for subscribers.